Flush drop-door for freight-cars.



No. 669,722. Patented Mar; l2, mm. L. T. CANFIELD.

-FLUSH DROP 0008 F08 FREIGHT CARS.

(Application filed Dun 2'9 1900. (No llodei.) 2 Sheets-Shoot l.

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No. 669,722. Patented Mar. l2, l90l.

L. T. GANFIELD.

.F| .USHDROP DOOR FOB FREIGHT CARS.

(Appliqation filed Dec. 29, 1900.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORN [Y m: NORWS PETERS co. PHOTOLITHO. WASHINGTON. u. c

UnrTen STATES PATENT Trice.

LEWIS T. CANFIELD, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLUSH DROP-DOOR FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,722, dated March 12, 1901.

Application filed December 29, 1900. Serial No. 41,497. (No models To all whom it m/cty concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS T. CANFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flush Drop- Doors for Freight-Oars, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to flush drop-doors for freight-cars; and the object thereof is to provide a freight-car with a flush drop-door located in the bottom thereof and with simple and effective devices for opening and closing the door; and with this and other objects in view the invention consists of the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by the same referencecharacters in each of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side View of a portion of a freight-car provided with my improved dropdoor, the doors being closed; Fig. 2, a similar view showing the doors opened and the bottom of the car in section; Fig. 3, a bottom plan view of the bottom of the car or a portion thereof, and Fig. 4 a cross-section on the line 4 4, Fig. 3.

In the drawings forming part of this specification I have shown at 6 a part of the bottom of a freight-car, preferably at the middle portion of the car, the sides of the usual dooropening being shown at 7, and in the drawings forming part of this specification I have also shown two dropdoors 8, between which is a transverse bar or support 9. The doors 8 are hinged at 10, and secured firmly to the bottom side rails 11 of the frame of the car are hanger plates or supports 12, between which the doors 8 are free to swing vertically. Mounted in the plates or supports 12, centrally thereof, is a shaft 13, and in the bottom of said plates or supports is a supplemental shaft 14, and the central shaft 13 serves as a drum on which to wind the chains 15, as hereinafter described. Pivotally connected with the bottom of each of the doors and near the free edge thereof, as shown at 16, is a togglelever 17, and each of these toggle-levers 17 is pivotally connected with another togglelever 18, and the shaft 14 passes through the ends of the toggle-levers l8 and forms a pivotal support therefor, on which said toggle-levers 18 are free to turn, and the ends of the togglelever on the shaft 15 are preferably separated by a disk or washer 19.

The connection between the toggle-levers 17 and 18 at 20 is preferably made, as shown in Fig. 4, by means of yoke-shaped heads, through which a pivoted pin is passed; but this connection may be made in any desired manner.

The shaft 13 is provided at one end with a ratchet-wheel 21 and an angular extension 22, to which a crank may be applied, and pivoted to one of the hanger plates or supports 12 at 23 is a pawl 24, above which is pivoted at 25 a cam-lock 26, which is adapted to bear on the pawl 24 and hold it in engagement with the ratchet wheel 21, and said pawl is provided with a key-pin hole 27, which is adapted to register with a corresponding hole formed in the hanger plate or support 12, and I also provide a key-pin 28, which is suspended from the hanger plate or support 12 by a chain 29 and which is adapted to be passed through the cam-lock 26 and through the hanger plate or support 12 when the said cam-lock is in the position shown in Fig. 1. The chains 15 are connected with the togglelever 17 at or near the lower ends thereof, or this connection may be made at the pivotal connection of the toggle-levers l7 and 18, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The operation will be understood from the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following statement thereof. Supposing the doors 8 to be open, as shown in Fig. 2, if it is desired to close said doors a crank is applied to the shaft or drum 13 at 22 and the said shaft or drum is turned so as to wind the chains 15 thereon. This operation draws up the doors 8 and forces them into the closed position, as shown in Fig. 4, in which position they are locked by the cam-lock 26. If

it is desired to open the doors 8, the cam-lock 26 is turned and the pawl 24 raised and the doors 8 will at once drop by gravity into the open position, as shown in Fig. 2.

My improved drop-doors may be placed in any portion of the bottom ofa car and are particularly designed for use in connection with cars in which bulk freight is shipped such as grain, coal, or other and similar freight-and it will be apparent that a car may be provided with one or any desired number of doors that will operate in the same manner.

My invention is not limited to the exact construction herein shown and described, and I reserve the right to make all such alterations therein as fairly come within the scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A car, the bottom of which is provide with a flush drop-door, a shaft supported under the free edge of said door, devices connected with said door and said shaft for closing the door, and means for lockin g said shaft so as to hold the door in a closed position, said door being adapted to drop into an open position when the locking means is released from the shaft, substantially as shown and described.

2. A car provided with a flush drop-door which opens downwardly and which is closed by means of toggle-levers supported thereunder, a shaft which operates in connection with said toggle-levers, and a flexible device connected with said shaft and said toggle-levers and adapted to be wound on said shaft, substantially as shown and described.

3. A car provided with a flush drop-door which opens downwardly and which is closed by means of toggle-levers supported there under, a shaft which operates in connection with said toggle-levers, and a flexible device connected with said shaft and said toggle-levers and adapted-to be wound on said shaft, said shaft being also provided with means for holding the door in a closed position, substantially as shown and described.

4. A car provided with a flush drop-door hinged in the bottom thereof, a shaft or drum supported beneath the free edge of said door, a supplemental shaft supported beneath the first-named shaft or drum, toggle-levers connected with said 1ast-named shaft and with said door, and a chain connected with said shaft or drum and said toggle-levers, substantially as shown and described.

5. A car provided with a flush drop-door hinged in the bottom thereof, a shaft or drum supported beneath the free edge of said door, a supplemental shaft supported beneath the first-named shaft or drum, toggle-levers connected with said last-named shaft and with said door, and a chain connected with said shaft or drum and said toggle levers, said shaft or drum being also provided with means for preventing it from turning in one direction, substantially as shown and described.

6. A car provided with flush drop-doors hinged in the bottom thereof, hangers or supports at each side of said doors, a drum or shaft mounted centrally in said hangers or supports below the free edges of said doors, a supplemental shaft mounted in said hangers or supports below said drum or shaft, toggle-levers connected with said supplemental shaft and with said doors, flexible devices connected with said toggle-levers and with said drum or shaft, and means for preventing said drum or shaft from turning in one direction, substantially as shown and described.

.In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of December, 1900.

LEWIS T. OANFIELD.

Witnesses:

W. J. MARTIN, .W. S. NICHOLSON. 

